The GOOD, the EVVL, and the STRQ
by EnriksD8
Summary: Two genetically engineered super soldiers are sent to Remnant as party of a secret treaty/pact between Remnant's Atlas and Earth's UN. Things were fine and dandy until both are now transferred to a new area of operations. Beacon Academy. It would help if one of them would stop treating it like a standard military op. (Had to reupload this one.)
1. C1P0

**-The GOOD, the EVVL, and the STRQ-**

 **Okay! This right here is something I've been planning to do but never got to it in a short amount of time because A: I'm a no-good slacking SOB, B: Procrastination's an evil mistress when you've been with her for most of your life, and C: Read the last two. This is a RWBY fan fiction that takes place 22 years before the events of the canon Rooster Teeth show, and the history (of both Earth and Remnant) will be different in certain places. Hopefully I actually dedicate a good portion of my life to continue this. Enough of my rambling, on with the story!**

* * *

 _1776, the year US America won independence from the British Empire, y'know how it is. The Declaration of Independence, Civil War, yada yada yada, I'm not gonna bore you with what history already told you. No, I'm here to tell you what else happened that same year. Something taken out of the books, turned into a myth by government spooks._

 _It didn't just happen in the US, it happened in other parts of the globe, too. Russia, China, Japan, Germany, Spain, you name it. Hundreds of children taken in the middle of the night; mostly orphans but rarely kids with real pamilya so no one really noticed, worked in the spooks' favor, too._

 _The kids were hoarded off to a heavily guarded island off the coast of Mexico, where they were put through Hell for the rest of their lives. Before I get to the details, I'll tell you what's on the island._

 _Large experimental weapons guard that place day and night, making absolutely sure none of the public knew where it was or what it was. In the factories were people collaborating with others in creating highly-advanced tech of all sorts. Guns, armor, vehicles, the whole nine yards, these guys had everything and much, much more._

 _To the spooks and their friends, the island was called Eden, but to the public? Well, it's not really the island itself, more like the waters around it. It was known to the world as the Bermuda Triangle. You heard me right, the Bermuda Motherfucking Triangle. All those documentaries, all those things said about the Bermuda Triangle, all lies by the government. It kept people off their tracks, and they profited from the obliviousness._

 _The kids they brought to that place were never the same again. Out of three thousand (3000), only one hundred and fifty (150) remained barely alive. What they were put through changed how war was done forever._

 _Now here's where the whole thing started. A scientist named Abraham Zuerst made a formula based on forbidden knowledge. Naming it the Zuerst Serum, after himself obviously, the doctor set to work, inviting a few generals from both the US and the British Empire showing them the effects of the serum on a dying patient. The results were… disturbingly successful, to say the least._

 _The patient rose from the comatose, completely changed. From a frail man, his muscle mass grew, his bones hardened to a metallic alloy stronger than anything recorded, and his intelligence grew tenfold. The generals were impressed, but did the doc really deliver what he had planned? In short, he did._

 _The first of his kind, the new super soldier was named Primum, after the Latin word, the first of the Genesis Soldiers._

 _Over a span of twenty years, Doctor Zuerst was funded when the generals witnessed firsthand the sheer brutality and raw power Primum possessed with each mission he was given. The doctor first started experimenting on inmates from both countries, but made a startling discovery when his own son, Isaac, a mere five year old boy, came into contact with the serum. The serum changed the poor boy from a normal child to a skilled and deadly warrior, a professional at stealth and assassinations, far better than Primum in a sense._

 _That event was called in the history of secrets as the 'Binding of Isaac'._

 _As for the remaining kids that had survived, they showed potential as they quickly worked as a unit for over thirty years. These few were also selected for breeding. It worked in the long run._

 _Soon, each of the countries' hidden groups started collaborating with one another and having their own brand of Genesis Soldiers to fight their battles from the shadows and in plain sight._

 _You might be wondering what exactly are the Genesis Soldiers are capable of. Let's just say they're capable of many things. Whatever that Serum does to the individual, it changes them. It gives them powers like those superheroes from the comic books._

 _Flight, Super Strength, High Durability, et cetera, these guys pack massive punch, and they know when and where to hold back or go all out. Not only that, but it increased the lifespan of the soldiers to fifty percent more than a normal human._

 _It's this kind of firepower that many nations fear the government. After all, despite all the secrets, things tend to slip when the new super soldiers are witnessed by bystanders._

 _1886, a hundred and ten years after the first batch of Genesis was made, labeled the First Generation. Not creative but explanatory nonetheless. It was also the year where the Genesis Soldiers were made officially known to the public eye. Thousands were with the idea but millions were against it. Too bad, none of them knew the true origins of the Genesis Soldiers which suits the spooks fine in the long run once again._

 _It was also the year Earth has made a startling discovery. They found a cult worshipping a large stone structure while offering virgin sacrifices and even blood offerings. As they got close for a preemptive strike, something emerged from the portal._

 _Creatures with skin black as ink, with armor white as the rays of the sun, and eyes red like roses. The Genesis Soldiers didn't know the names of these things, so they were simply called Daemons._

 _A large battle erupted, the cultists and the Daemons on one side and the Genesis Soldiers on the other. After nearly an entire day, the Genesis Soldiers won, but suffered heavy losses. They were pulled back to Eden and given medical attention. Luckily, the spooks were able to secure the structure and keep it hidden from prying eyes._

 _What they discovered about the structure… proved what was once science-fiction was now a reality. It held a portal leading to a world much like ours, but better. They also stumbled into what was that world's version of the Great War._

 _Not knowing who to help or what to do, the Genesis Soldiers simply set up base in an island called Draco. There they met one of the four main countries, or kingdoms as they're called here, participating in the war, Atlas. At first they were hostile to one another, often aiming guns at each other's heads or placing blades to one another's necks, until they came to a truce._

 _Genesis trades their stuff with Atlas and they do the same. None of the kingdoms of the new planet or even the public back on Earth knew about this. In a way, it was a good move, making sure no one leaked the info to public ears and whatnot._

 _As for Eden's participation in the Great War, both on Earth and on Remnant, the new planet they discovered, their Genesis Soldiers spread hope into their allies and fear into their enemies. Their abilities were described as angels and demons amongst men and women, due to their inhuman capacity to take punishments a normal soldier would die from and still go strong._

 _The rest of the 19th century was pretty hectic. World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War and the Cold War on Earth, the Faunus-Human Civil War on Remnant and so on and so forth. It was during the final years of the Vietnam War (1970's) Eden noticed that they need to step up on the Genesis Soldiers. And with the new tech Eden and Atlas have created together, mostly Eden while Atlas simply provided the parts, they created the Second Generation of Genesis Soldiers. These were stronger, faster, and far better than the previous generation by a milestone._

 _The way the new guys were made was a bit complicated than the First Generation, but quality was better than quantity. Taking in DNA templates from various mercenaries, soldiers, killers, hell, even First Generation Genesis Soldiers, the Second Generation of Genesis Soldiers were kept in large tubes to sustain them over the course of a long year of incubating. Instead of kidnapping thousands of kids, we were simply created in large tubes as the DNA continues to build up our bodies, personalities, and everything that would make us unique._

 _But there aren't any pros if there are no cons. And the big con of this deal is that most of us don't know of our parents since we were simply combinations of different templates and tweaked to many things._

 _Here, I was born. March 22nd, 1976, subject $M1L3Y as some called me. Said it had something to do with me being born with a Glasgow grin. It wasn't really noticeable unless you got a good look at my scars. The top brass also said I'm the weakest, seeing as how I was born with a few problems such as a burnt right forearm and right portion of my face, my blindness in one eye and my trouble in breathing early on._

 _Heh, the look on those fucks when I proved them wrong and came back alive in every single mission they've ever put me through. I wasn't even thirteen at the time. And it was all thanks to my adoptive father._

 _Marcus Vasquez, a well-known mercenary, a kind father, and indirectly a First Generation Genesis Soldier. When I learned to walk and talk at the shy age of three, my old man put me through my paces. By the time I was five, I already beat a few professionals in parkour and in speed and knew about six different languages. It also helped that I was tall for a kid my age back then, a good five feet and eight inches compared to other kids who should be around four feet and such._

 _Then, by the time I was eleven, two months before my twelfth birthday, my dad took me to my first mission. Afghanistan, January 6th 1988, called in to help my dad in fighting off a Mujahedeen terrorist group harassing a Russian paratrooper division called the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, Soviet Airborne Troops._

 _There me, my dad, and 39 Soviet Paratroopers held off around four hundred Mujahedeen terrorists. On our side we lost only 6 men, the Mujahedeen lost more than a third of theirs. At first, I simply wounded the soldiers with the rifle my dad gave me, a good old 1959-made Modernizirovanniy Avtomat Kalashnikova or Modernized Kalashnikov Assault Rifle, the AKM. I had two spare magazines with me at the time, wasted half of my loaded magazine into the kneecaps of the enemy, before getting a grip and aiming for the hearts. After the Mujahedeen retreated, I ended up losing my lunch. It's never easy, having to kill for the first time and knowing it just gets worse from there on out. But my old man assured me what makes us different from killers is that we kill to stop the killers who simply do it for sport._

 _That and the fact that the Genesis soldiers were always bred to be leagues better in terms of combat of all kinds. After a few months of training and getting my head out of that topic, I was ready to go once more. Until my dad called me up and told me some good news._

 _His wife, my adoptive mom I guess you can say, gave birth to a boy, my baby brother. He told me she and little bro would visit once he's three, and I told him I'll be waiting._

 _By the time I was fifteen, dad kept his promise. My baby bro practically thought I was the best among the other kids since I was pretty big for my age, already at six feet and five inches with an athletic build. It was also here that I would meet my best friend, Vladimir Prozodnikov, another Second Generation Genesis Soldier. Guy was shorter than me by a full foot and younger than me by two years, had blood red eyes and raven black hair in a messy style. Not to mention he was the cousin of Dmitry Prodoznikov, the heir to the Prozodnikov Arms Company, Russia's current largest supplier of small arms and heavy ordnance. Regardless, he and I would often train together to see who was better. It wasn't really a competition, but rather if we can see our flaws and correct them._

 _Safe to say, we improved on our skills and our coordination after that, going on missions, killing bad guys, that good stuff. We became a two man team by the time we were in our early adulthood years, me being twenty and him being eighteen. There at that point of history, we and a few other Genesis Soldiers were introduced to the structure I've mentioned a while back._

 _This time, we had help in recreating the portal the structure made. Doctor Angelo Garnet, the man responsible for remaking the portal to a safer scale, sent us to Remnant for the yearly contract with Atlas._

 _Over the course of the next few months, I, Vlad and some Genesis soldiers were given different orders from Atlas. The top brass wanted the rest to clear up the ever growing threat of Grimm; the Daemons encountered back in 1886, in Draco and Vale, one of the four main kingdoms. Vlad and I were given a different order, something I highly disagreed vocally with the brass at the time._

 _Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Enrique Vasquez, but you can call me Smiley._

* * *

[Camp Omega/Location Classified/5th of June, 1996]

 **Slam!** The sound of a fist colliding with a metal table caught the attention of those around the tent in the middle of a barren mountainous area.

"Sir, I don't think these orders are right for someone of my skill set," a pissed-off and coarse voice of a twenty-year-old individual spoke as he glowered at the commanding officer in charge.

The individual that slammed his fist was a tall man, going up to seven feet and four inches tall with a built chiseled body, wearing black cargo pants, a silvery gray shirt, dull brown combat boots, and a few pieces of armor on his shoulders, left arm and lower legs. He wore a custom vest over his shirt, the vest providing two large pouches in his rear for his drum magazines for his main gun, while he had two belts on his pants, one for actually securing the aforementioned article of clothing, and the other for his holsters for his custom handguns.

His head sported facial hair just shy of a 5 o'clock shadow and his brown hair was trimmed to a narrow buzz cut, not even an inch tall for each individual strand of hair. His lips, or the edges of them, sported faded scars mimicking a smile, a Glasgow Grin or Chelsea Smile. His eye pupils were the dullest of bluish-gray, giving the impression that he was like a mindless drone. His lower right arm was pinkish-white along with the right portion of his face in contrast to his light brown skin. Multiple tattoos decorated his exposed skin, one being on the back of his left hand, a silver eagle holding a generic-looking AK-47 in one talon and a bastard sword in the other talon. Another tattoo was on his back, tribal patterned decorating his upper back and going to his shoulders.

This was Enrique Vasquez, Codename: Smiley and he wasn't so pleased right now, unlike his partner Vlad, who was busy chatting and flirting with the female soldiers around the base.

"Direct orders from the council, Sergeant Verde! Either you deal with it or go for cleanup duty," Enrique's eye twitched as he glowered down the commanding officer sitting on the chair, one Lieutenant General Eugene Stone as the CO simply twiddled with a smoking pipe.

"But sir-!"

"No buts, Sergeant, except yours going outta here," Enrique made a noise of annoyance before leaving the tent with a foul mood. Just as he made about twenty feet away from the tent, he heard someone speak up.

"Not liking our orders, partner?" Enrique turned his head to look at the speaker. Six feet and six inches tall, with a slightly thinner build compared to his, wearing a gray trench coat over a white shirt and some form-fitting suit pants with some leather shoes to go with the style, a fedora slightly tipped over the individual's head. Two ornate revolvers, both Colt Python .357s, were holstered in his cross-draw chest-rig holsters while an SVD, customized with a shorter barrel, a 20-round magazine and a night-vision scope, was slung over his back.

Blood red eyes, pure-black hair, a face many women would faint from nosebleeds and men would be jealous of, along with that perfectly maintained row of sparkling white teeth compared to his yellowish teeth.

This was Enrique Vasquez's partner, Vladimir Prozodnikov. The two have been close friends since they've met and have helped one another on the field and in general. Their styles of combat were different. Where Enrique was all brute force and preferring to get straight to the point, Vlad's style was more flashy and distracting, often mesmerizing his enemies before finishing them off with a well-placed bullet through the skull.

"Hmph, not my style of work," Enrique crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at the tent.

"Well, Enrique," Vlad spoke, patting him once on the shoulder, "my father once said that one must adapt to whatever situation he gets thrown into. I think this is your chance to adapt." Enrique lightly shrugged off his friend's hand.

"But this…" Enrique muttered, "Is a lot different than anything else."

"Oh please," Vlad playfully mocked, "what's so bad about this one?"

"We're to be stationed at Beacon Academy." As soon as Enrique finished his sentence, Vlad's eyes widened in glee.

"We're enrolling, eh? I heard the girls there are tight~!" Vlad's head started to wander into the gutter, until Enrique promptly forced his head way up.

"ACK! Okay! Okay! Uncle! Uncle!" Enrique promptly released Vlad's head, causing the Russian teen to gasp at the sudden sensation of his neck being forced back to its proper place. As he regained his bearings, Vlad mock-glared at Enrique.

"You're evil." The Filipino Genesis Soldier simply shrugged before heading to a place many knew would calm him down.

* * *

[Camp Omega Firing Range]

 **BANGBANGBANGBANG!** A four round shotgun barrage shredded through the paper targets, as the man firing reset his aim.

Enrique held his custom automatic shotgun tightly as he continued firing. The shotgun's general shape resembled an AA-12, the finished 1987 model, with various notable differences.

The overall materials made for the gun were carbon-fiber for the body and stainless steel for the metal parts and bits. The most notable feature was below the handguard. It was a streamlined chainsaw bayonet, running either on electricity or on Dust, Remnant's main fuel source for various purposes.

The chainsaw was called **Long-Ya** , while the shotgun was called **Salhaeja** , the shotgun fires 8 Gauge 3-1/2-inch Magnum shells from box magazines holding from 5 rounds to 10 rounds or drum magazines holding 20 rounds or 32 rounds, which Enrique loaded it with the last option.

As the last shell ejected, Enrique reloaded, oddly adding an extra shell into the chamber before loading the next drum. Setting the large shotgun down, Enrique picked up his other primary custom weapon.

It resembled the Russian-made KORD-12.7 heavy machine gun with notable differences. It still fired the 12.7x108mm rounds loaded from a linked belt still inserted to the right side. The main change of this gun was the use of lighter but stronger materials. Mounted on top of the heavy machine gun was a 1PN58 night vision scope that as more suited for an SVD rather than a Kord. The stock was also modified, taken from the PKM general purpose machine gun. The handguard for the weapon resembled that of the American-made M60E3 complete with foregrip, although it was relocated further back.

The linked belts used for the gun originally only could hold 50 rounds, but due to Enrique's large height and higher degree of strength, the linked belts can now hold up to 150 rounds. He also personally uses the 12.7x108mm rounds in Depleted Uranium ammunition, as the gun is more or less used for heavy firefights against aircraft and vehicles. The gun works well against people, but… his other weapons can deal with them just fine.

The gun, being customized by Enrique, was placed through multiple torture tests and made that it would operate well in the harshest of environments, much like his Salhaeja and Long-Ya and the legendary AK rifles. He called the gun **Dzhaggernaut** and, much like Salhaeja, it had an under-barrel weapon in the form of the six-shot Milkor Multiple Grenade Launcher or MGL improved to fire high-speed 40x46mm grenades, thus delivering explosive ordnance at ranges of 600 meters and beyond, requiring a minimum arming distance of ten feet, otherwise it would simply explode a few seconds later after bouncing off of a surface.

Setting the machine gun and aiming with the HAMR optic installed on the top of the gun just in front of the rear iron sight, Enrique flicked off the safety and began firing, a five-round burst slicing the targets clean apart. Satisfied with the accuracy from a hundred meters, Enrique then began aiming at the targets at over six hundred meters away.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, he firing a ten round salvo at the each group of targets, most of the rounds hitting their mark while two or three would miss and go far to the right or the left, regardless, Enrique fired the remaining rounds from his gun, alternating between five-round and ten-round salvos until Dzhaggernaut ran dry. Pulling back the charging handle to eject the last empty shell, he opened the upper receiver and began to load the next large ammunition drum for his machine gun.

Once he was done, Enrique took both of his guns and went back to the Bullhead docks, where Vlad was waiting for him.

"'bout time you got here, _tovarishch_ ," Vlad spoke as he boarded the Bullhead, holding on to the safety bar as his partner simply sat down on one of the seats just as the Bullhead VTOL took off from the landing pad and off to its destination.

"Had to sharpen up for the mission," Enrique said as he pulled out his customized handguns, each one of the handguns being the most recent models of the Desert Eagle handgun, the Mark XIX.

The visuals of the pistols were quite simple. Both handguns sported 10-Inch/254.00mm long barrels outfitted with muzzle brakes. One of the handguns was with a silver body with dark gray grips, and the other a dark gray body with ivory grips. Attached to their trigger guards are small laser sights, designed for quick target acquisition at 50 feet or less. The handguns are ambidextrous, giving the user the ability to switch hands on the fly. These were Enrique's custom handguns known simply as **Whitetail** and **Blackhawk**.

Vlad grunted in response. "Come one, Enrique, liven up a little, man! We finally get to relax and go to a normal school." He released his grip on the safety bar, closed the door on his side of the VTOL and relaxed on the chair next to Enrique, relaxing as he leaned back.

"What's wrong with our old school?" The Filipino asked as he holstered his handguns as he pulled out both of his bolos from their sheaths integrated into the sides of his boots.

The Russian chuckled and he lazily glanced at his old buddy. "Nothing, nothing, man, it's just that… this school could be the chance for us to be normal for once, y'know what I mean?" Vlad opened one eye as he stared at the roof of the Bullhead.

Enrique nodded and replied, "As long as I don't really socialize that much, I'll be fine."

"Heard they'll put us in four-man teams." The large twenty-year-old looked at the smaller eighteen-year-old with a raised eyebrow.

"Come again?" Vlad smiled as his hair casted a shadow over his eyes; it was never a good sign whenever Enrique was involved.

"The Huntsman Academies have four-man teams." With that Vlad got up and sat on the opposite end of the Bullhead. "Better get used to two other guys with us."

"Two civvies, Vlad. And that's why I don't like this one mission." Enrique argued but fell silent when he saw Vlad had fallen asleep so quickly. Deadpanning at his partner's heavy sleeping ways, he groaned silently as he looked out of the VTOL's window.

 _[You back there, we'll be arriving at Beacon Academy in about ten hours tops, 'sumin' we don't get any turbulence or go off course]_

The pilot spoke over the intercom, to which Enrique nodded.

" _Ten hours, huh?"_ He spoke in his mind as he watched the clouds whip by. _"Gonna rest, no use staying up just to fall tired in Beacon."_ With that in mind, Enrique slowly drifted to sleep, snoring softly as he eased onto the empty chairs and using them as a makeshift bed.

* * *

 ** _Prologue - Welcome To Beacon_**

* * *

[Airspace on route to Beacon Academy/Vale City, Vale/5th of June, 1996]

Eyes fluttering open, Enrique took notice of the change of scenery after a moment or two of regaining his senses.

" _So this is Beacon… Not a bad looking place. Wide open areas mean good vantage points for sniping or suppressive fire."_ Enrique spoke in his head as he scanned the area. He took notice of the body of water below and that the cliffs are a few minutes away.

" _Judging by our current speed and the distance, I'd say we're five minutes to the LZ."_ Standing up from his makeshift bed, Enrique slowly moved over to Vlad, his large form casting a shadow over the sleeping Russian.

"Oi, Vlad, wake up." He heard no response from his old friend. Narrowing his eyes a bit, the large Pinoy lightly placed a hand on each shoulder before doing what he always does to Vlad whenever the Russian would sleep heavily.

He hoisted him up on his shoulders before throwing the poor man down to the floor of the Bullhead face-first.

 **BUNGH!** "OW!" Vlad was immediately awake, clutching his steaming face with an annoyed grunt. Glaring at the person responsible, Vlad simply grumbled as he got to his feet and began to stretch. As soon as he was done, Vlad took notice of the change of scenery.

"We're nearing Beacon?"

"Arriving at the RV point in about a minute," Vlad shook his head at his partner's treatment of this enrollment as a mission.

"Enrique, you need to relax. This isn't your typical run and gun mission."

"Would've been better if it were just that," Enrique muttered and made a light grunt as he looked outside the windows.

"We're approaching the landing pad."

"I can see that, Captain Obvious." Vlad opened up the door as the Bullhead fully settled down. Jumping off the VTOL, the Russian teen looked around to marvel the sheer size of the entire school and the school grounds.

"Wow… Seems like something outta Wizard of Oz, right?"

Enrique grunted, "Preferred function over aesthetics." Vlad responded by playfully slugging Enrique in the shoulder.

"Knock it off."

"Knock what off?"

"You are treating this enrollment as a mission. Look, I know this came from the top brass, but even they would want us to relax for a bit. Come on, just smile for once, Vasquez, huh. Can you do that?"

Enrique frowned for a bit before sighing. Looking at Vlad, the edges of his lips curled into a barely noticeable smile.

"Eh, could use some improvement, but a start." Vlad swiftly turned on his heel and began to walk towards the large building that is Beacon Academy. Enrique watched Vlad for a bit before slowly resigning to his new orders.

Slinging both his primary guns over his shoulders and firmly securing them to his back, the Genesis Soldier started to follow Vlad. Along the way, he heard his future schoolmates and classmates mutter and whisper to one another as he passed by.

"Woah! Dude, did you see the guns on that guy?"

"Who is that guy? Seems too tall to be a Huntsman to me."

"Might be applying to be a teacher's assistant, maybe."

"Did you see the scars on that guy? Holy Oum, what the hell did he go through?"

Enrique heard words like those but paid them no heed as he caught up with Vlad.

With Vlad, he heard more gossip from the girls due to how dressed he was and how he looks.

"Wow, d'you see the clothes that guy's wearing?"

"That face…"

"That body…"

"He's just too…"

"PERFECT!" Vlad chuckled at the squealing of the girls and removed his fedora, giving them a passing glance, complete with a dashing wink.

He noticed Enrique walking beside him, who whispered to his ear.

"You're attracting attention."

"What? Jealous I'm getting the limelight?"

"No, I prefer if we both keep low profiles.'

"Come on!" Vladimir playfully shoved Enrique, continuing with "Says the guy who practically went Rambo back in '93."

"Someone had to distract them." Enrique countered as he entered the auditorium, where a massive group of students are inside waiting for the headmaster to arrive.

"Hey," Vlad poked Enrique, pointing to a spot near the doors leading to the main building, "Let's go there, it would be best if we exit first."

To his surprise, Enrique declined and pointed to the center of the auditorium. "We can assess the area from there; easier to see people come in and out, good defensive perimeter." Vlad shook his head at his friend's way of speaking.

"Okay, you're the boss-man." With that, the duo made their way to the center. Like Enrique said, they can see from a complete 360 degrees, looking at various ways to exit and various methods to defend themselves. The two also noticed a few notable people in the crowd.

Enrique noticed a girl shorter than anyone else wearing a white cloak, sporting dark hair that's red at the tips and silver eyes, a blonde, green eyed girl wearing glasses and sporting an unbuttoned jacket and black skirt with her hair loosely falling down to her hips, a raven-haired boy with a massive sword on his back sporting blood red eyes much like Vlad, and a girl wearing a simple night blue dress with dark hair and the truest amber eyes anyone could ever see.

Vlad noticed a girl, presumably the sibling of the boy as she was beside him, with equally dark hair that spikes downwards to her ass wearing red Japanese-esque clothing, likely a yukata or something similar, with a bulky scabbard for her katana sword, a girl with cat ears sprouting from her hair and with a feline-like smile on her face, a blonde man who'd look more at home in a gym, and another blonde man, this time who sported wings, wore armor, had steel blue eyes, and carried a sword and a shield much like an angelic knight.

Vlad took notice that there was a girl a few feet beside him. Taking a look, he noticed that the woman wore Viking clothing, sported pure silver hair style in a ponytail and the bangs framed both sides of her face neatly, and had a green eye on her right and a beige eye in the left. He took note of her weapon, too. It looked like an ordinary battle axe, until he saw the grip had a trigger guard and an elongated trigger while the top of the axe head was a smoothbore barrel, possibly for firing shotgun shells the size of 20 Gauge or 16 Gauge. He'd have to ask Enrique about that, he was always the expert on all kinds of weapons.

The Russian noticed that the Viking he was looking at take a glance in his direction. She smiled at him, not the sweet kind of smile either but the one of knowing. Still, he blushed; the woman's face was pale much like his with a little scar on her left cheek.

"Like what you see, mister?"

"Oh, uh, I didn't mean to stare, miss... I-I'm sorry, I don't know your name." The Viking simply giggled at him, hiding her mouth behind one hand.

"My name's Tatiana. Tatiana Lazuli. And you are?" Vlad made a little bow and answered.

"My name is Vladimir Paprika. It's nice to meet a fine warrior such as yourself." That got a little chuckle out of Tatiana.

"Oh, and you don't see me as a simple woman?"

"I see everyone here as warriors, and potential allies." Vlad replied as he and Tatiana continued conversing.

They talked for a couple of minutes, clearly enjoying one another's company, until the sound of footsteps on the auditorium's stage silenced them and everyone else, gaining their attention.

It was then that a man with hair in a vibrant orange and with eyes as black as coal came into the lone microphone in the stage, his features revealed as soon as the spotlight turned on and the rest of the lights dimmed.

He stopped in front of the microphone, tapped it a few times and began to speak into it.

"Greetings, students." His voice was mellifluous but still held a voice of strong will. "My name is Drakonus. I am the school headmaster as some of you have already figured it out." A few murmurs and whispers were heard as both Enrique and Vlad had picked up on.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, I shall begin." A deafening silence washed over everyone else.

"You all have trained most of your lives to get where you are now, a school where the best are trained to be the public defenders of not only Vale, but all of Remnant." Despite the dim lighting, Enrique and Vlad saw a couple students nodding in agreement.

"But I warn you now. Things will get harder for those who do not strive to be Huntsmen. Knowledge, after all, can only get a lone individual so far before they fail on them." Subconsciously, Vladimir nodded. Taking a glance at his partner and his new friend, Vlad couldn't help but agree to Drakonus' words.

" _I get. You need allies and to know the ropes instead of simply relying on what you've learned so far."_

" _Adaptation, looks like this base's CO is trying to tell the other recruits to adapt."_ Enrique gazed towards the other students, taking note of some of them.

" _Girl with the white cloak looks too young to be here, looks too innocent too. That blonde woman in the black skirt and jacket seems a bit weak, only armed with a riding crop it seems like. That man with the wings and armor, a bird Faunus, looks tough, may put up a good fight."_ This continued for a while before he looked back at the Headmaster to catch the end of his speech.

"-nd for that, I thank you all for your time. Take the door on the far left corner to be lead to the ballroom, where you shall be staying for the night." With that, most of the students began to leave through the exit that the Headmaster spoke of.

As he made his way towards the door, he felt someone bumped into his backside.

"OOF! S-so-sorry!" He turned to the speaker and noticed that she was the girl in the white cloak from earlier. She looked extremely nervous, possibly due to his massive height of 7'4" compare to her average height of 5'6".

He noticed her features a bit more since he was within close proximity to her. Her face had nary a scratch or flaw, and it was a bit pale in comparison to his light brown skin. Her hair was long, compared to his which was in a buzz-cut, reaching past her shoulders and stopping there, the color of the hair was black but got lighter into red as it went further away from the scalp. Her figure was fit for someone of her size, lithe enough for her to fit into tight spaces (his assumption) and enough for her to quickly dodge oncoming attacks as long as she stays focused. She wore a black corset with a bit of red in the middle over her white blouse and had a black gothic skirt that was just above her knees. She wore a pair of dark stockings in addition to some feminine boots. He took notice that, under her cloak's hood, barely visible unless you had good vision, were a pair of wolf ears idly wiggling as they picked up on the sounds around her and him.

Going out of his calculating mood, the Genesis soldier spoke.

"Its fine, kid, just be mindful of your surroundings next time, alright." The girl nodded, but started tapping the tips of her fingers together, a universal sign that she was unsure or nervous.

"I… uh, w-would you… help me find my way to the ballroom, please?" Enrique was surprised, but he did not show it. He had just met this girl and she was asking for guidance towards the ballroom. Often, people would steer clear of him due to his large stature or his deadly skills in combat.

Here he had two choices. One was leave the girl behind and catch up with Vlad, which would hamper any benefits of alliance with the girl or anyone close to her. The other would be more beneficial, and that was to aid the girl on the way to the ballroom.

Having made up his mind, Enrique spoke, gaining the girl's attention.

"Okay, I'll help, miss…" The girl tilted her head to the side before perking up and scratching the back of her head lightheartedly.

"O-oh! My name is Summer, Summer Rose." The now-identified Summer Rose lightly bowed to him. "It's nice to meet you… uh, I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I never said it." Turning swiftly on his heel, the Genesis soldier began walking towards the doors leading to the school's main hallway, gesturing with one hand for Summer to follow him.

"H-hey, wait up! It's no fair I don't get your name!" The Genesis soldier chuckled at the girl's change of attitude from a shy girl to an adorably fierce girl.

"It's Enrique Verde. That's all you need to know, ma'am." He spoke politely as he and Summer made their way to the ballroom.

Far behind them, the girl in the yukata and bulky scabbard watched them with a careful gaze. Just as a pair of students passed by her, she disappeared, a raven taking her place and flying towards the doors of the ballroom.

- _With Vladimir_ -

Vlad made his way to one of Beacon's locker rooms. To say that this certain locker room was large was an understatement.

It was as big as a warehouse, with many lockers for the future and current students to use and store their gear.

As he glanced around, he spotted the girl with cat ears from before seemingly on all fours looking for something. Going in for a closer look, he heard what the cat girl was going on about.

"Come on, come on. Get out of there, you stupid mouse! I'm hungry!" The cat girl began reaching into the bottom parts of the lockers, clawing at whatever was hiding behind them.

As humorous as it was, Vlad decided to make his presence known. Clearing his throat, the sound caused the cat girl to jump in surprise and quickly stand up, with a clear blush decorating her cheeks. When she turned around, Vlad could see her features clearly.

She had yellow eyes that brightly gleamed with the sunlight, and had long, fluffy, black hair flowing down the bottom of her spine with a ribbon decorating and securing it tightly near the end. She wore a small, black jacket over a white tank top that exposed a little bit of her midriff. Her lower clothing consisted to a pair of white jeans that hugged her fit legs neatly along with a pair of sandals that oddly had cat bells on them. Her face was shaped beautifully, with the cat ears making her look extra cute in Vlad's opinion.

"Need any help there, kitty cat?" The girl blushed a bit harder as she gripped her right upper arm tightly. She pouted slightly before sighing.

"I was trying to get that stupid mouse." As she said that, Vlad heard a little squeak coming from the lockers.

"And you were trying to eat it?" A hesitant but quick nod was his answer. Vlad cupped his chin with his thumb and pointer finger as he got to thinking.

"I don't think it's right for you to eat a mouse, no matter how tempting." The cat Faunus lowered her head, but perked up when Vlad continued when he made his way back to the ballroom.

"Tell you what; I'll treat you to some food later, m'kay?" The cat Faunus could only make a little noise of agreement as she nodded slightly.

"But… we don't even know one another." Vlad stopped in his tracks and glance back at her.

"My name's Vladimir Paprika, you?"

"Kali Noir. It's nice to meet you, Vladimir." The girl now identified as Kali made a little bow as a sign of respect to Vladimir. With the introductions out of the way, the two began conversing as they made their way to the ballroom.

- _With Enrique_ -

When he told Summer to stay in that one spot, he had expected her to follow his orders like a soldier should.

Unfortunately, he remembered that he wasn't in a military operation anymore and that Summer decided to tag along with him like a dog following their master.

...

...

That may or may not have sounded racist. He'll have to shoot himself in the foot later.

Luckily, Summer wasn't that bad of company as she kept her voice to a minimum but still talked with him on lighter subjects. In fact, they continued talking and roaming around the school for a while until it was nearly night time by the time they've reached one of the minor halls leading to the ballroom.

Still, he was kind of glad that someone interrupted their little chat. When he heard the sounds of a burst of feathers impacting with the floor nearby, Enrique brought his hand up to silence Summer. Glancing to her, he spoke in a hushed tone.

"Head back to the ballroom. I'll be just a minute." Nodding, the Rose went back, the sounds of her shoes clicking against the quartz floor echoing across the hall.

After making sure she was gone, Enrique pulled out Whitetail and Blackhawk, the sights on the handguns making a neon white glow and the slides being reflected by the moonlight. Bringing the guns upward, the Genesis soldier slowly moved through the hallway. Granted he didn't plan on using the handguns, but he could never be too sure.

As he walked on, he noticed another corridor leading down to the right. Narrowing his eyes, the Genesis soldier concentrated for a bit.

If there was one advantage Genesis soldiers shared with the Faunus of Remnant, it would be their enhanced senses. Because of this, Enrique saw someone hiding behind one of the pillars, although he couldn't tell the gender from afar.

Looking around, he saw some parts of one of the supporting pillars chipped away, forming a makeshift ladder of sorts. Walking up to it, he placed his fingers into the cracks. They were just big enough for his hands and the spikes on the front of his combat boots.

After a few seconds, he got on the roof of the halls and began to walk to the location directly above the person hiding. Glancing down, he saw the person with clearer clarity on their details.

It was a female that was for certain. She wore a shallow cut black dress with red accents, with five necklaces, each having an assortment of beads, a red-girdle belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets with black fingerless gloves. Her hair was spiky, black with red highlights and the hair went down to her waist.

After taking in her features, he pulled out his twin bolos and jumped down.

The woman looked up just in time to block the oncoming twin bladed strike with her sword. The sword was long with a single-edge, making it resemble the Japanese Odachi in regards to its appearance. Enrique noticed multiple thin and almost invisible lines separating the blade into segments, meaning it was telescopic. That would explain why it was now twice the sheathed length as he simply continued to push against the blade with one of his bolos while the other one made an inward slice, causing the woman to jump back into the hall.

Despite the low lighting and thanks to his enhanced vision, Enrique got a closer and better look at the woman.

She had a youthful face, probably because she was a student to this school, and had blood-red eyes, the kind that freaks normal people out. Regardless, he took a step back to look directly at the woman.

"Who are you?" The girl inquired with her sword positioned and ready to cut him down should he make a lie.

"Just a man that's attending this school."

"You don't look like a student to me."

"Says the woman that was lurking in one of the halls," with that said, Enrique shoved the woman's sword back, his physical strength clearly outmatching hers, causing the female to be forced back and lose a bit of her grip on the sword.

Just as she recovered she tried to lunge back, only for the barrel of a handgun larger than any she'd seen so far pressed against her temple.

"I'd be careful on what to do next if I were you." The Genesis soldier growled his words out at the woman, who held a look of frustration on her face.

With a grunt, the woman sheathed her sword, prompting Enrique to put away both his bolo and his handgun.

"So… why exactly are you lurking in the halls?"

The woman made a sound, answering with a question of her own, "Why were you jumping from the roof of the hallways?" The woman's retort made the Genesis soldier mutter a 'Touché' under his breath. Regardless, Enrique tapped the woman on the shoulder, although he had to obviously lean lower to her level to do so, and asked another question.

"Exactly who are you anyways? You're a student, yes, I know that, but I'm asking who you are in general." The woman simply smirked and leered into his eyes, her blood-red orbs staring directly at his impressively pale and stoic orbs.

After a moment or so, the woman stopped smirking and said with a clear voice.

"My name is Raven Branwen. And to answer your original question, I was making sure I didn't make the wrong assumption."

"And what exactly would that be?" The smirk on her face returned, making Enrique unsure on how to deal with this 'Raven Branwen' character.

"I thought you'd just be like the other men in this school. Weak and preferring intimidation on smaller people such as myself."

"Too bad I ain't weak, ma'am." Raven lets out a short chuckle, seemingly agreeing with his words.

Turning on her heel, Raven began to walk towards the ballroom. "Are you coming with, big guy?" Her answer came in the form of Enrique walking past her, seemingly silent apart from his footsteps.

She narrowed her eyes at Enrique's retreating back. Something about him didn't seem right. She'd have to investigate later. For now, she silently followed the man back to the ballroom where the other students, their future schoolmates, classmates, and/or teammates, were resting.

* * *

[Camp Omega/Portal Transport Area/June 5th, 1996]

As the soldiers of Camp Omega go about their daily routine, the ones stationed at Camp Omega's Portal Transport Area were about to receive a good shock to keep them up for days.

The scientists overseeing the area noticed a few messages popping up on the multiple monitors.

"What the hell? I thought we didn't have any more transport from Earth today?" One scientist said in confusion as he sat down on one of the chairs and began typing a few commands down on the keyboard. After a moment or two, the scientist noticed the oddity within the messages. These weren't any Trojan-Horse styled virus; the systems of Camp Omega were far too powerful and fortified for any hacker or virus.

It wasn't until he noticed the symbol that was watermarked onto the messages that the scientist stopped inputting any commands to the computer he was on.

He turned to a guard and spoke.

"Get Lieutenant General Stone down here, ASAP!" The soldier simply nodded before running off to the sector of the base the CO was currently located.

In a few moments, the soldier came back with Lieutenant General Eugene Stone in tow.

"What the hell is so important that you disturbed me, Doctor Garnet?" The scientist, one Doctor Ichabod Garnet, began to explain in a hurried tone.

"S-sir, something went wrong with the monitors. A-at first I thought i-it was a security breach, but then I noticed the symbol watermarked on each and every one of them." Doctor Garnet went over and forcefully grabbed Lt. Gen. Stone and showed to him the findings on the monitor.

"See? See?!"

Eugene Stone narrowed his eyes at the message on the screen then to the watermarked symbol. What he saw made his eyes widen. Looking at Doctor Garnet, Stone nodded. Seemingly knowing what was going on, the doctor pressed on the button to confirm the message.

Down in the Portal Transport's Receiving Area, the large arch that served as the stabilizer for any portal began to spark, bronze flashes of electricity began to hit to multiple Tesla coils surrounding the wide pad that the arch stood in the middle of.

After a few more sparks and flashes, the arch began to form a portal, bronze on the rims and black in the body showing the stars of the cosmos.

Multiple soldiers guarding that one area began to stand firm, the Earth soldiers having AUG A2 assault rifles and M14 battle rifles at the ready while the soldiers of Remnant held their Atlesian AR-34 rifles (imagine the assault rifles used by the Atlesian Knight-200s in the canon RWBY show, but are smaller and have computerized scopes in gray with red highlights, with a slightly canted magazine similar to the AN-94) and SDC-brand LBR-308 (imagine a hybrid between an H&K G3 and an H&K SL8 with the Schnee Dust Company colors of white with blue accents) at the ready.

They've waited for what seemed to be an eternity, until something went through the portal. A single man stepped out of the portal, his appearance instilling fear to the men stationed there.

This young man wore a black long-tailed coat that was thin and fits his athletic runner build over what looked like a straight gray variation of the German KSK uniform with German Polizei body armor worn on the arms and legs with the vest directly over the coat. He had shiny blonde hair styled in a clean and orderly hairstyle one would find on the World War II German SS Officer. His eyes, the coldest of blued steel, pierced through the atmosphere like a superheated knife through butter. He stands firm at six feet and six inches, towering over the other soldiers.

Slung over his back was a customized Walther WA-2000 outfitted with an extended magazine holding 22 rounds of .300 Winchester Magnum plus one extra round in the chamber, a more sophisticated scope that can accurately tell the distance and properly calculate for the different factors that would affect the trajectory of the bullet, as well as a specialized silencer that also acts as an extended barrel.

On a chest-rig holster, one can see a Beretta 93R pistol with spare 20-round magazines on his belt.

The man's presence stunned many of the soldiers, but they simply kept straight faces. But to Eugene Stone and Ichabod Garnet, this was someone who was not to be trifled with.

The man began to step towards the edge of the platform, before jumping off and plummeting 20 or so feet into the ground. Most were sure he'd break his legs but were surprised when he emerged unharmed.

The man gazed upwards, looking directly at the Lieutenant General.

"Herr Stone, it is good to set foot on this base once more." Stone simply narrowed his eyes at the new person.

"I'd be honored by your presence here, Schadel, if it weren't for the fact that you were visiting on business terms." The man, identified as Schadel, smirked.

"I'm here to talk about the plan."

* * *

 **And that's all she wrote, baby! What'd you guys think? I've decided to step away from the safe, but overdone, RWBY storyline and decided to turn back the clock to before it all went to shit (*cough*Volume 3*cough*).**

 **But anyways guys, thanks for read, and I'll have a new chapter if you guys liked this one.**

 **Translations:**

 **Long-Ya** – Dragon Tooth (Chinese; Simplified)  
 **Dzhaggernaut** – Juggernaut (Russian)  
 **Salhaeja** – Slayer (Korean)


	2. C1P1

**-The GOOD, the EVVL, and the STRQ-**

 **Wassup, fam. I'm back!**

* * *

[Beacon Academy/Vale City, Vale/Continent of Sanus]

Enrique made it to the ballroom with Raven in tow. In his opinion, he didn't trust this one woman. She was too experienced compared to the rest of the others in this school. Not that he hated people with experience, but going from his own experiences, having someone else with skills within a civilian area was always a bad sign to the mercenary.

Regardless, he simply opened the doors and walked into the ballroom, with Raven following behind him at a good enough distance.

Looking around, he saw Vladimir, who had just finished his conversation with a girl with cat ears sticking out of her hair. Enrique quickly made his way over to the Russian teen, calling out his name in a gentle yet firm manner.

The aforementioned teen turned his head at Enrique's direction and beamed slightly.

"Now there's the man of the hour!" Enrique simply narrowed his eyes in a certain degree of annoyance before sighing as he made his way over to his brother-in-arms.

"Not even a few hours and already you've picked up a girl, Vladimir," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest, his lips forming a slight frown.

"Heh, says the guy that talked with to this cutie over there." Vlad stepped to the side, revealing one person Enrique just met recently, who was missing her cloak/hood. Sighing, he explained himself.

"I merely helped her in getting here." That's when he paused and directed his head back at the Russian. "How the sweet fuck did you know I talked to her?" The Russian simply smirked and replied in a smug tone.

"I have my ways," Vlad then placed his hands on Summer's shoulders and moved her in front of Enrique, "now why don't you talk with her some more?" Enrique responded with a grunt and a glare aimed at his friend before sighing.

"Sorry about this, Miss Rose." He could see said girl's cheeks flared up, whether from keeping herself warm in the cold room or something else, he'll never know.

"I-It's fine, Enrique. I could use some socializing from here on out." Judging from her tone, she was nervous, but remained truthful in terms of her words. He internally nodded while he spoke his agreement, making Summer beam for a bit before she resumed her quiet demeanor.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Enrique didn't know why he was being so chatty as of now, but he couldn't undo the damaged he'd done. Summer, hearing his question, perked her head up, her wolf ears straightening in a manner similar to a legit canine when something grabs their attention.

"O-oh! I was hoping we can talk about who our teammates could be during the initiation." Summer was eager, he could tell by that small smile on her face, barely being able to keep herself from jumping up and down in glee.

He had to admit, the action was admirable to a degree, although the word 'teammates' did catch his attention.

Glancing at Vlad, his mind began to ponder. So many random events, so many ways to botch even the tiniest thing, so many ways to kill…

So many ways to die.

Shaking his head slightly, Enrique decided to focus on the lighter-hearted subjects.

"From what I've heard," his words caught Summer's, Vlad's, and Kali's attention, "the teams are formed after the initiation in the forest next to the academy."

His words had an immediate effect. "O-Oh!" Kali's face formed into one of genuine surprise, "I didn't know we'd do an initiation, let alone in a forest filled with Grimm."

Oh yes, he had forgotten about that minor detail. Beowulves, Ursai, Taijitu, Creeps, Nevermores, Beringel, Boarbatusks, just to name a few. In complete honesty, Enrique and Vladimir had faced those creatures from the slightly armored younglings to the older and heavily armored elders. He and Vladimir also learned that, despite their moderate to high resistance to Dust, solid objects such as actual bullets, if propelled by gunpowder (He also had test-fired a loaded gun, complete with a lead bullet, with Fire Dust as the propellant. That's five grand of gun and bullet he ain't getting back), can go through the bone plating of the Creatures of Grimm of all ages. It was just a matter of finding weaker parts of the armor, or aiming for the eyes and vital areas.

A reassuring hand to the shoulder from Summer calmed the Faunus down. "Don't worry, Kali. Those Beowulves, Ursai, and all other Grimm are no match for the superior intellect of mankind." Kali nodded, seeing some logic in her fellow Faunus' words.

Vlad simply smiled in response. Waving a hand in dismissal, he added, "Details, details! What's really important is that we kill as many Grimm in the initiation so we can be the talk of the school!"

Great, just the one thing that he didn't need, attention. Sure, he'd be respected by his peers, but given at how gossip-y most of the females around them tend to be, and how most of the boys tend to fall for unproven rumors, he'd rather be as inconspicuous as possible.

Yeah, as inconspicuous as a 7'4" juggernaut of a teen can be.

Enrique sighed, an audible sound that was more of a guttural growl than a human sigh, as he began to squat down on the floor to set up his sleeping bag. His growl did cause the two ladies to jump a tad bit, not used to hearing a sound to come from a human rather than a Creature of Grimm. Ignoring it, the two also began to set up their sleeping bags, Kali having bid the three farewells as she sets up near the cleaner areas in the ball room.

Vladimir, unsurprisingly, slept next to him at a fairly respectable distance. Now Summer, on the other hand…

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly as he felt his right shift considerably as Summer began to lie down rather closely to him.

"I dunno? I-I guess I feel comfy when I'm with you." Summer murmured, burying her face into her pillow, or, at least, as much as she can hide into that pillow, as she shifted over so her back was facing Enrique's front as she began to sleep soundly and peacefully.

Enrique, internally sighing, simply accepted the fact that Summer's here and there's nothing he can do without making a scene. Closing his eyes, Enrique began to slowly drift off into sleep.

Hopefully, without any night terrors for once.

* * *

-Insert Intro: _Warriors_ by _Imagine Dragons_ -  
- _Camera starts panning from the sea towards a landmass._ **  
**- _Camera reveals Beacon Academy._ **  
**- ** _As a child, you would wait and watch from far away_** _  
_- _It then shows Summer Rose lying in her bed, watching the stars twinkle in the beautiful night sky._  
- _She then sees a shooting star pass by, with her smiling in pure happiness._  
- ** _But you always knew that you'd be the one to work while they all play_** _  
_- ** _And you, you'd lay, awake at night and scheme_** _  
_- _The scene switches to the cold mountainous area surrounding Camp Omega, with Enrique Verde and Vladimir Paprika training harshly shirtless out in the bitter cold.  
_ - ** _Of all the things that you would change, but it was just a dream  
_** - _Scene changes once again, to show Tatiana Lapis as a child training under her father's arena.  
_ - ** _Here we are, don't turn away now (Don't turn away)  
_** - _The next scene shows Evelyn Fall slicing some Grimm like Ursai and Beowulves down with her swords.  
_ - ** _We are the warriors that built this town  
_** - _It then shows Raven Branwen and Qrow Branwen fighting back-to-back against some Nevermores and Boarbatusks, with Taiyang Xiao Long brawling with an Alpha Beowulf.  
_ - ** _Here we are, don't turn away now (Don't turn away)  
_** - _Summer, after killing off a lone Creep, gets smacked aside by a Beringel who, in turn, gets crushed by Glynda Goodwitch's telekinetic/psychokinetic grip.  
_ - ** _We are the warriors that built this town from dust  
_** - _Glynda's teammates, Oswald Pin (later known as Ozpin), Bartholomew Oobleck, and Orianna Drakonus, are then seen taking on a large group of Grimm.  
_ - ** _The time will come when you will have to rise  
_** - _Enrique and Vlad are then seen taking on a few terrorists accompanied by some hijacked Atlesian Knights Model 130's.  
_ - ** _Above the rest and prove yourself your spirit never dies  
_** - _Tatiana and Evelyn are then seen teaming up against Glynda and Orianna in a friendly sparring fight in Beacon's Combat Class.  
_ - _The scene switches to Enrique's father, Marcus Vasquez, and Vladimir's uncle, Anatoly Prozodnikov, discussing business, with Marcus looking rather pissed off before taking his leave.  
_ - ** _Farewell, I've gone to take my throne above  
_** - _The scene switches over to the man known as Schadel in an underground laboratory of some sort, experimenting on a dead body with hundreds of test tubes containing human-shaped figures below him.  
_ - ** _But don't weep for me for this will be the labor of my love_** _  
_- _He then stabs the body with a sinister syringe with black ooze inside of it just as someone approaches him. **  
**_- ** _Here we are, don't turn away now (Don't turn away)  
_** - _Headmaster Drakonus is seen typing away on his personal computer, his features concealed by a shadow.  
_ - ** _We are the warriors that built this town  
_** - _The scene changes to two panels. One showcases Evelyn and Enrique fighting through a Grimm horde, with the second showing Vladimir and Tatiana.  
_ - _The panels change to show two more scenes. This time one's showing Summer and Raven fighting a pack of Beowulves in another location, and the other showing Taiyang and Qrow taking on a flock of Nevermores.  
_ - ** _Here we are, don't turn away now (Don't turn away)  
_** - _The two panels then show the final two pairs. The first being Glynda and Oswald providing supported by corralling any stray Grimm and preventing them from overwhelming the group, and the second being Bartholomew and Orianna preparing a massive attack.  
_ - ** _We are the warriors that built this town from dust  
_** - _The two panels fade out their scenes and begin to merge as one, with the camera panning over to the center of the large horde, showing a mysterious individual looking like a Wendigo, commanding the Grimm to attack the group.  
_ - _Teams STRQ, GOOD, & EVVL all looked at one another before unleashing an all-out attack against the horde.  
_- _Bartholomew and Orianna unleashed a massive fireball and a surge of lightning, respectively, with Glynda levitating chunks of debris of varying sizes and Oswald rapidly zipping from place to place striking groups of Grimm rapidly with his cane.  
_ - _Summer and Raven began fighting their way through the small fry, with Taiyang and Qrow facing the bigger Grimm head on.  
_ - _Tatiana and Evelyn are then seen devastating groups of Grimm with their weapons and Semblances, as Enrique and Vladimir are gunning down and slicing up a majority of the Grimm.  
_ - ** _[Song skips to the final tunes]  
_** - _The scene flashes out to white, before fading to black._

* * *

-The next day; 0530 Hours; Beacon Academy; Ball Room-

Thankfully, Enrique woke up and suffered little in terms of his mental health in his sleep. Looking around, he sees that the other students weren't early birds like him or Vlad.

Speaking of Vlad… Enrique glanced to his right and saw Vladimir enjoying some shuteye, the Russian mumbling about something involving girls and his uncle's company.

Looking to where Summer was, he noticed that she was now facing him, indicating that she moved in her sleep, with as peaceful smile on her face. Seeing her like that caused something inside the mercenary, but he didn't know what it was exactly.

 _"Probably nothing…"_ He mused mentally as Summer's soft breathing reached his ears.

Resisting the urge to pet her, Enrique got up to make his way to the school's training area to shape up, intent on getting something to eat for the day ahead.

Heading towards the training area was pretty straightforward, just a few turns here and there and Enrique stepped foot onto the training area before he even knew it.

It took a few minutes, but Enrique was able to set up the various targets to suit his needs.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Enrique slowly shifted into a fighting stance. Facing one of the larger punching bags, he began to unleash a fierce right hook, followed by a roundhouse and finishing off with an overhead slam. The force of his attacks, combined with his swiftness and high strength, managed to send the punching bag flying a good distance.

Not satisfied with what he saw, Enrique began to attack another target, this time a wooden dummy, unleashing vicious attack after vicious attack.

After a few minutes, the training area was littered with annihilated punching bags and wooden dummies with Enrique looking rather satisfied with his handiwork.

His stomach started growling, prompting him to head towards the cafeteria.

Upon getting to the cafeteria, he immediately began to get some food for himself. And by some, in his case it meant a large version of what he considers breakfast.

There was a large piece of beef and onions with some sauce alongside some brown rice, alongside some more obscure meat and fish products.

Setting down his breakfast onto his selected table, he began to eat in silence. After finishing his meal, Enrique began to head back, seeing as how the sun was rising if the rays weren't any clear indicator.

When he did get back, he still saw everyone else asleep, including Vladimir, who seemed to be snuggled up in between his blanket and one of the pillars.

Grunting, he simply changed course and headed towards the locker rooms of the school's very own armory.

It was a good thing, prior to them sleeping, he and Vlad already picked their lockers in advanced.

 _"Locker 322, where art thou?"_ he mused in a faux-Shakespearean accent, as he made his way through the locker room, closing in on his own locker.

Mentally counting the lockers as he went, he eventually stopped in front of his locker. Opening it, he then takes out his weapons and brought them onto the floor, after he had spread out a white sheet on it.

Enrique began to disassemble each individual weapon, carefully inspecting every single part with utmost care. Every nut was adjusted, every barrel was polished and cleaned, and every chamber and action was inspected and tested for any errors. Nothing was left behind from his care.

Even the bullets were checked, the bullet-heads made sure they are in their top condition, the bullet casings properly weighed and polished, the gunpowder was at the right amount and weight, et cetera et cetera.

As soon as he was satisfied, he began to reassemble his weapons and placing them into their holsters (Whitetail and Blackhawk), sheaths (his bolos), and slings (Salhaeja and Dzhaggernaut).

Glancing to the entrance, he took note of the time on the digital clock said 06:49:32 AM. Getting up, he soon makes his way to the Ball Room to wake up Vladimir.

As he walked down the halls, he took notice of black spiky hair darting behind the doorway. Having a sneaking suspicion on who that was, his eye slightly twitched.

And just as he walked past the two doors, he heard her say, "Y'know, it's not every day you see someone come back in full military gear." The smugness in her tone indicates that she wanted to rile him up.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Raven leaning against the door, having that damn smile on her face.

"Miss Branwen." His words were curt and straight to the point, as he looked forward again, scanning the room for his partner. He did not want to cause trouble, especially so early in the day.

Raven sashayed towards Enrique, making damn sure her hips give off that certain bounce. Stopping behind him, she inspected his rear side head to toe.

"I have to admit, you look mighty fine. Are you compensating for something perhaps?" She sent out a mischievous grin, not that he could see.

After that, she also inspected both sides of him, taking in most of the details.

Growing tired of this, the mercenary grunted and simply walked off, breaking Raven out of her examining mood.

"You're getting on my nerves, Miss Branwen." He muttered, although it was audible enough for the raven-haired beauty to hear.

"I don't know what you're talking about~" she said in a sing-song tone as she sashayed alongside him. Enrique grunted as the two made their way across the ballroom.

After a minute or two, the duo found Vladimir up and ready for the day ahead, although his eyes were somewhat closed.

"Vlad, good to see you're up already." Enrique spoke as he crossed his arms. Not in a hostile manner, rather it was done in a habitual manner. The Russian perked his head towards the large young man and gave a small grin.

"I could say the same to you," Vladimir looks past Enrique and sees Raven, a smirk forming at his lips. "And who's this? Selecting another girl to add into your harem?" Vladimir winked playfully, although whether at Enrique or Raven the two will never know.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Vladimir. This is Raven Branwen, a woman who I had the misfortune of meeting last night." The mentioned young woman pouted as she huffed and looked away.

"Hmmm… says the man who went rough on me last time." Vlad gawked at Raven, then at Enrique. In the blink of an eye, the young teen was at his friend's face.

"Alright! Deets, and I mean all of it!" Vlad's answer was a hand grabbing his face and pushing him back.

"Vladimir, we did nothing of whatever this woman is talking about." Enrique growled, once again sounding like a guttural sound you'd hear from a large predator or a Grimm.

Raven herself flinched internally, before shaking it off and giving a teasing smirk as well as accusingly pointing a finger at him and wagging it playfully. "Hmph! But you rammed that big sword of yours in me, in the middle of the hallway, too." She seemed to enjoy teasing the large young man.

Vlad immediately removed Enrique's hand from his face.

Now Vladimir's gawking was even worse. His mouth was wide enough for a large beehive to fit in, his eyes were wider than saucers.

"YOU GOT TO BANG A HOT CHICK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?!" Everyone who was awake turned their heads towards Vlad, who was still bug-eyed and slack-jawed.

Enrique shifted his gaze towards Raven and glared, his pale right eye glowing slightly in the process. The glow itself and the atmosphere around Enrique intimidated the crowd around the three, causing them all to back away slightly from the large teen.

 _"Oh shit!"_ Vlad immediately started to speak.

"Hey man! I don't think it's a good idea to just outright murder a girl in broad daylight!" He went in front of his friend's field of vision, trying to placate him to a more controllable state.

Raven saw the glow his right eye gave off and can't help but feel curious. Despite the dim glow, she felt a large amount of power emanating from it.

This was someone that was not to be taken lightly, even though he was young, and that brought a little smile to her face.

Enrique shrugged off his annoyance before walking past both the now-dispersing crowd and Vladimir and Raven. "Did you check your Scroll?" He asked as he walked over to his sleeping bag and folding it away for the time being.

"Uhm, no actually, I was gonna wait until I heard fro-"

 **PING!** Vlad was cut off when his left pocket vibrated. Reaching into it and pulling out his Scroll, this world's version of a smart-phone, tablet, and even computer all in one, he saw that there was a new message in there.

* * *

 _Attention all enrolling students,_

 _Please proceed to the Beacon Cliffs by 12:00 Noon. Punctuality is a must. Late-comers will be expelled. If you have not yet picked up your gear, please proceed towards the locker rooms in the School Armory._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Professor Octavius Drakonus_

* * *

Vlad nodded wordlessly as he pocketed the Scroll away, stretching his free arm and bending over backwards slightly o ready his muscles.

"Alrighty…" Raven perked her head towards him, seeing the Russian heading in the Armory's direction.

"Wanna come with, buy guy?" Enrique shook his head. "I already grabbed my gear if you haven't noticed already."

Nodding in response, Vlad made his way to the Armory, leaving the two for the time being.

Enrique began to head off in the other direction, intent on getting a good feel of the academy before noon strikes.

Raven alternated her gaze between Vlad and Enrique, at a speed where it would've broken a regular person's neck, before sighing in annoyance.

"Boys…" She muttered before morphing into her bird form and flying off, startling a few people along the way.

* * *

- _Armory Locker Rooms_ -

Vladimir, who was now in the locker rooms, approached his locker, Number _321_ , to retrieve his gear. Along the way, he had bumped into Kali once again, who was getting her own gear from her locker.

Kali had picked her weapon already. It was a rather elegant handgun, resembling an OTS-33 "Pernach" in its generic shape with a few bits from the MP-443 Grach, although the grip was slanted more than usual. There was a muzzle weight on the weapon, with the ports at the side (which made Vlad shake his head for a bit) to reduce horizontal recoil. The weapon was also a mecha-shift apparently, as there seems to be a tall (height) and thin (width) metal block underneath the barrel and attached to the front of the trigger guard (which was curved inwards by that area which separates it from the rest of the block via a horizontal line while the rest of it sported a few diagonal lines separating it into segments), along with a second selector switch just next to the actual selector weapon was silver, the light giving it that immaculate aura, with engravings written in South-Western Mistrali (imagine Italian) with the words saying "Muoviamo avanti, non ancora" on one side and "Move Onwards, Not There Yet" on the other. The grips were rather ornate as well, beautifully carved wood with golden engravings resembling vines. The barrel was rather long, for a handgun, being at 16 inches (much like a standard AR-15/Armalite Rifle Design 15), possibly for the large metal block underneath.

It was when she flipped the second selector switch (which oddly had a gun and a sword on two separate markings) did Vlad realized what the metal block actually was. The block separated itself horizontally, revealing a telescopic blade underneath, that with the lower half attaching itself to the barrel. The transformed block extended, the segmented lines revealing more of the blade as said blade lowered from the thin block.

Kali pulled back the slide to chamber a fresh new round (Judging by its size, it was a 5.7x28mm round), before she slung it over her back, the sling made of a silky yet durable black and white fabric.

The Faunus felt someone's eyes on her and began to look around before seeing Vlad standing a few feet away from her, causing her to send a small smile in his way.

"Hello there, Vladimir, fancy meeting you here again."

"It's good to see you too, Miss Noir." Vlad took one of Kali's hands and kissed it like a gentleman, causing her to blush slightly from his rather bold action.

"My, my, Vladimir, isn't this a bit too fast?" Vladimir simply smirked as he lets go of Kali's hand.

"I was only being a chivalrous individual to a fine lady such as you." Someone clicked their tongue in annoyance.

"Fucking animal lover… This place ain't a petting zoo!" A male voice called out, causing the two to turn their attention to the speaker.

It was a teen male with a runner's build and brown skin. The person wore a dull gray waistcoat over a white sleeved shirt, with a silver chain necklace around his neck sporting a metal sculpture of a hawk. He wore a pair of black slacks with brown leather shoes.

He stood tall at 6 feet straight, with some taunt muscles being made clear even underneath his clothing. The person sported dull-red hair done in a swept-back style with golden brown eyes, along with some reddish lips.

Currently there was an annoyed look on the man's face.

There also was one on Vlad's face too, as he releases Kali's hand and walks up to the slightly shorter male individual.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that an ugly monkey's the main exhibit." That comment angered the individual, who brought up his fist, holding his rather large weapon.

"You wanna repeat that to my little friend here?" The boy said, waving the weapon for emphasis.

The weapon wasn't a firearm, as far as Vlad can see it, although knowing Remnant and the Huntsmen and Huntresses' quirk with transforming weapons, he can damn hazard a guess that it will transform.

It resembled a Zweihander sword, with the 6 feet-long obsidian blades being vertically segmented by a single, thin purple line for about two-thirds of the blade from the tip down, with the remaining portion being completely solid. There was an odd hollow space in that portion's middle, with one end being covered by a curved box housing a series of mechanisms. There was a dull red Dust crystal embedded inside the hilt's center. Seeing a trigger (without a trigger guard, to which Vlad was sure Enrique would berate the wielder for possessing complete disregard for proper firearms technique) along with a magazine release paddle (similar to that of a Kalashnikov rifle or an MP5 sub-machinegun), as well as magazines on the person's belt containing 4 four-inch metal bolts with each arrowhead color-coded for each varying type of Dust, Vlad knew the weapon was also a crossbow.

A rather large and unwieldy one, if you ask anyone with common sense.

Anyways, the weapon, much like Kali's, was rather decorated, with red highlights and engravings on the blade, with the edges being golden. The grip/handle, fashioned like a Japanese sword's Tsuka ito (Cord Wrap), was white (not snow white like that of Schnee family, but a light bluish white much like most snowflakes), with a pommel at the bottom sporting a sculpture of a knight piece from chess made of diamond (or Dust, he couldn't really tell).

How the boy holds the weapon and how nobody else saw it sooner was anyone's guess.

Vlad, regardless, simply smiled before walking past the teen and into his own locker, which was conveniently nearby and within sight. Opening the locker, he grabbed his gear and weapons.

"HEY! We're not done talking here, animal lover." the boy, apparently not used to being ignored, spoken up in annoyance. He approached Vlad with a predator smile, sword/crossbow weapon haphazardly being settled on his shoulder.

"I oughta teach you a le-"

He was cut off by a barrel of a Colt Python Magnum revolver being aimed right at his forehead/temple, the user's intent being to kill.

This Python was customized externally and internally, with the base frame of the gun made from stainless steel and coated in nickel. The grip was in real mother-of-pearl, contoured to seemingly blend into the shooter's grip for maximum stability. The barrel was 7 and a half inches in length, the platinum-white engravings depicting a python's body wrapping around it delicately. The muzzle was custom-made to be shaped like a sapphire-eyed white snake baring its fangs at a hostile being, as well was sporting venting holes on the top to force recoil downwards. The hammer, that part used to cock/ready the beautiful single-action piece of art, was skeletonized ring instead of a spurred hammer and it was given serrations to improve cocking speed when used by either the shooting hand's thumb or the off-hand. The cylinder of the revolver was modified to quickly swing out and quickly back into the gun, with the ejector rod being safe-guarded by an outer stainless steel shell.

Now it was Vladimir's turn to smile in a predatory manner. The hammer was already cocked; he just needed to pull the trigger.

"I can see that you're speechless when my beautiful baby girl gets up in your face." The teen's face held a mix of fear and anger as Vladimir talked in a condescending tone.

"This right here is one of my personal Colt Python .357 Magnum revolvers. It holds six shots, more than enough to kill anything that moves. Oh yes… a fine piece of art in every square centimeter of this astounding gun." Vlad said as he slung over his custom SVD rifle over his back and holstered his other Python into one of the chest-rig holsters.

The air was tense, with Vlad holding a gun into the teen's head and Kali looking on with wide eyes and apparent fear.

It was until a hand placed itself on the boy's left upper arm that the tense air was slowly going away.

"Reid, enough, we're gonna be late." It was a girl, judging by the pitch of the voice, which was just slightly higher than that of a boy's voice.

Vlad removed the revolver and holstered the weapon, Kali breathed out a sigh of relief at the averted situation, and the boy, Reid, simply scoffed and turned to face the girl.

She was pale, not unnaturally so. She was standing at over 5 feet and 8 inches, with a fit body build, but no visible muscles were apparent. She had smooth and silky pink hair that went down to her upper chest (which wasn't too shabby, either), her eyes were crystal blue. Her face was rather cute in a mature sort of way.

She dressed like a Western Gunslinger, her top wear consisting of a yellowish shirt with a burnt orange poncho sporting white square decors around the neck area with some silver tassels. She wore a black pair of jeans with a few rips in the lower areas (fashion, Vlad surmised) along with some cowboy boots, complete with star-spurs that spin with each step. On her head was a Stetson hat, with an emblem depicting that of a Pegasus-unicorn hybrid bursting through the flames which were stylized in an ornamental wreath's fashion, while around her neck was a red scarf that was currently lowered to revealed dark-red lips currently in a pout.

"Come on, Reid! We're gonna be late!" she said in annoyance as she pulled Reid's arm in emphasis. Reid grumbled in annoyance as he lets himself be dragged off by the newcomer, but not before glaring daggers at Vlad.

"This isn't over." He was promptly met with a rude gesture. Some call it 'Flipping the Bird'; others call it the 'One-Finger Insult'.

But we all just come to know it as the middle finger, which Vlad had done in response to Reid's words. As the two disappeared from view, Kali wiped off some unnoticed sweat from her brow.

"That was unnecessary, you know?" she asked Vlad, who quickly retracted his outstretched hand and shoved it into his pants' pocket.

"Eh, guy was an asshole, alright? What was I gonna do? Let him insult you and me further?"

"But you're just making it harder for the Fauna out there by defending me." Kali muttered with some sadness lightly lacing her tone. Vlad simply shrugged in response before walking off, passing Kali and heading for the doors. But not before her replied to her words.

Looking over his shoulder, he spoke, "I don't care if Fauna around the world are getting it harder than before, or if pricks profit from it. No one insults my friends, ever."

Kali, at loss for words, simply nodded as Vlad exited through the large double doors.

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1 Part 1 - Into the Fray_**

* * *

[Beacon Academy/Vale City, Vale/6th of June, 1996]

- _With Summer Rose_ -

Summer had groggily woken up to find no one by her side. She glanced around lazily and saw Enrique, who was leaning against one of the ballroom's pillars, scanning the room with watchful eyes.

The two locked eyes for a brief moment, but Summer immediately broke off eye-contact looking like a deer with headlights. She always was awkward with any male individual, even those in her pack. She would often stumble over words and if not, and she would instead make things more awkward somehow in some way.

Enrique was no different, for that she was certain. But that won't stop her from trying at all.

He simply raised an eyebrow at her behavior. Granted, he never really knew how a female acted. Not even the lessons with his adoptive mother helped, the words were too confusing despite being worded in English (Valean, he corrected himself as he was in Remnant now). In a sense, he was a little bit dense. Sure, he can pick up on some of the signals any girl would send his way (Thanks or no thanks to his mother), but is unsure on how to proceed with them.

It was like being in a minefield with all mines being cleverly buried to the point there's nothing different in the surface. One wrong step and he'll be all over the place faster than you can say "KABOOM!"

He was aware that Summer held some form of feelings towards him, although whether that was because he was her first friend in Beacon or something else, he didn't know the answer for now.

Summer, after holding down her blush, quickly put away her sleeping gear and sluggishly tucking them away. She was not a morning person, apparently evident in her tired state of waking up early.

"Uhm-hmm… Why do we have to wake up so early?" she asked to no one in particular as she trudged around a bit more, before bumping into someone.

"Oo-oof!" Summer nearly fell over had she not regained her footing quickly, a sign that she was trained well to be a future Huntress. She addresses the person she had bumped into. "I-I'm sorry!"

"Just be more careful, brat." A female voice replied before the speaker turned to face her.

She stood at 6 feet flat, just taller than Summer, with a fair and healthy skin color. She wore an unbuttoned leather jacket over a plain black shirt that revealed a bit of cleavage of her moderately sized breasts, as well as a black skirt that barely went past her crotch if she stood still and didn't move a lot. Her legs were covered by pure black stockings, and her feet were hidden behind some military-style combat boots. She had a black cape with purple inner that was attached to her via a silk choker around her neck.

Her face, while beautiful, was somewhat of a mess, with a short green line (obviously a tattoo) vertically going down just beneath her right eye and dull-colored lips. Her eyes were a vibrant green, like emeralds shining in the dark. Her hair was a mess as well, with no apparent style or controlled form other than the fact that it was spiking into various directions but the eyes were given a clear view of the world around her.

This woman look irritated, although whether it was from Summer or something else no one knows, evident by the scowl on her face.

"Eh?" She leaned closer towards the wolf Faunus, who tensed up a bit. After analyzing Summer under her scrutinizing gaze, she stopped leaning and straightened her posture somewhat with a hand on her hip and one leg bended and lazily just standing on the tips of the foot's toes.

"You look cute." She said with one eyebrow raised, grabbing Summer's cheeks and lightly pinching them. After a few seconds, the woman released Summer's cheeks as she patted the wolf Faunus on the head.

Jabbing a finger to face with a toothy grin, she introduced herself.

"Name's Glynda Goodwitch, brat, but you can call me Glynda." Summer nodded, albeit somewhat awkwardly, as she introduced herself too.

"M-my name's Summer Rose. It is nice to meet you." She said meekly. Glynda responded by giving her a little pat on the head, much to Summer's surprise.

That's when Glynda pointed in a direction. "That guy bothering you?" Summer, confused at what she meant, followed to where Glynda's finger was aimed at.

Her confusion turned to surprise when she saw Enrique, who had witnessed the entire scene no doubt, crossing his arms as he leaned against the pillar, looking rather intimidating especially with his gear, weaponry and outfit.

Shaking her head, before realizing that Glynda wasn't looking at her, and replied/answered, "No, it's fine. He's a friend of mine, my first friend here in Beacon, actually." She said with some pink tinting her face, unseen thanks to her donning her hoodie/cloak.

Glynda, however, was unconvinced. How does a cute girl like Summer find a friend in a big giant like him? It just didn't seem right in her mind, that.

The guy was rather tall, hell he was probably larger than a Beringel (a type of Grimm that resembles an upright gorilla with a disfigured face), carrying an assortment of weapons on his chest, hips, and back. He looked more like a mercenary than a student in Glynda's eyes, and she had the feeling that her suspicions weren't far from the truth.

She scowled at the man, already not liking his presence in here. She flinched when he caught her staring and sent back a calm glance, one that held hostile thoughts underneath.

Glynda slowly backed away a few steps and shivered, although the latter action went unnoticed by Summer.

She just thought Glynda needed some space for now. "Well, I'll be off for now, Glynda. Again, it was nice to meet you." She bowed in respect before heading off towards the armory/locker rooms with a skip in her step as she went past a few future students.

Glynda was a little bit surprised when she heard Summer's voice and looked just in time to see her already leaving through the doors.

Sighing, she looked back at Enrique before scoffing and walking off.

Enrique watched the blonde woman warily, keeping his eyes on her form as she walked out of sight. Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, he grumbled in his head.

 _"This op's getting more damn complicated than I thought."_ Glancing around and looking at his future schoolmates, he thought again.

 _"Just hope these guys can be good soldiers when the time comes."_ With that in mind, he stopped leaning against the pillar and made his way to the Beacon Cliffs.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of glowing amber eyes trailed his every move until he was out of their sight.

Those eyes belonged to a fair and beautiful maiden with hair as black as a raven's feathers and skin healthily pale.

"Interesting." That was all she said before heading towards the Beacon Cliffs as well.

- _12:05:38 PM/Beacon Cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest_ -

Enrique got into a combat-ready stance, hands hovering over his handcannons the moment the headmaster gave them the go signal. From both sides of him, a few students also had the same idea, readying their weapons the moment they are sent into the Emerald Forest.

Drakonus stood in front of them, explaining to the students what was needed to be done. In all honesty, it felt like a debriefing back at HQ to Enrique.

"For many years, you all have honed your skills so that you may use them to protect those who cannot protect themselves. You all proved, not just to yourselves, but to everyone you know, that you are worthy, nay, already Huntsmen and Huntresses ready to defend from the never-ending onslaught of the Grimm hordes." He spoke in a sage-like tone as he glanced over a few individuals that caught his eye.

"Some of you have heard rumors on how teams were made, as well as how partners were chosen. Let me be the one that shall dismiss the rumors and give you the flat-out truth. The teams shall be selected," he paused for dramatic effect, "today."

Enrique heard Summer whimper quietly as she readied her weapon, a thin stiletto blade with a cross-hilt and a ruby gem on the pommel. Glynda grunted and flicked her weapon, a riding crop that doubles as a wand. Vlad craned his neck and flexed his fingers.

"It is rather simple. Once you are in the forest, you all are to make your way to the temple to obtain the relics at the far north side of the area. Along the way, you will no doubt encounter Grimm, so do not hesitate to kill them on sight." A few nods were given in response as Drakonus continued. Summer once again whimpered, stroking the side of her hoodie as a form of comfort.

"As for your partner, the selection is simplistic once more. The first person you make eye-contact with shall be your partner in academic work and other works for the next four years." Enrique swore he heard glass breaking as Summer yells out a cute "WHAT?!" in response to the headmaster's explanation.

Drakonus smirked, although it was slight to the point no one noticed.

"Now what you are each standing upon are spring-loaded platforms that will propel you upwards and forwards. From there, it is up to you on how you get back on the ground."

Wait a minute, what? Looking down, Enrique and a few warriors saw that, indeed, there are spring-loaded platforms.

Without warning, a **SWOOSH** emitted like a gunshot and a student was sent flying (and screaming) into the forest. The others, at least the ones near to that unfortunate student, had no time to react and were also sent flying (and screaming) into the forest.

Luckily, he and Vladimir were far from the unfortunate starting bunch and got ready once more. Enrique flicked off the straps securing the tops of the holsters of his handcannons and Vladimir readied his customized SVD, racking the bolt to check if a 7.62x54mmR round was really settled in neatly into the chamber (which it was, and he closed the bolt once more).

A few more students were then flung into the forest, with Summer, Kali, Tatiana and Glynda being amongst them. When it was finally their turn to be launched, Enrique nodded to Vlad, who smirked in response before they were both sent flying into the forest as well.

As the last of the students were launched off, Drakonus smiled.

* * *

-High above a section of the Emerald Forest/With Vladimir-

Vladimir never felt so free in his life. The feeling of the wind blowing against his face and body as he soared through the air. It felt so amazing to him! He's definitely gonna go skydiving if he gets the free time.

Doing a few somersaults, Vlad readied his SVD. Taking aim through his rifle's scope and making adjustments when necessary, he fired a single bullet, nailing a headshot on an unsuspecting Ursa Major, killing it in one messy shower of gore. Aiming at another location, he fired and struck down a Nevermore through both wings in two shots.

Seeing that he was descending into the forest thanks to gravity (which was lighter on Remnant compared to Earth, if he remembered right), Vlad searched for a suitable landing spot that wouldn't hurt him that much.

Finding a large tree with a few sturdy branches, he slung away his rifle and pulled out a Soviet-made NR 43 combat knife, customized in his preferred colors and its blade made to firmly embed itself in whatever its master decides to stab. Once he neared to tree, he stabbed his blade into the bark at a diagonal angle, causing him to spin around the tree as he quickly made his way down to the grassy ground below.

Jumping off (taking the knife with him) the tree once he was ten feet above ground, Vlad got into a rolling position as he impacted against the grass. Rolling for about three feet before leaping and landing on his feet, he wasted no time in rushing to where the relics are said to be.

"Nailed it!" he said as he rushed to the far northern end of the forest.

* * *

-With Summer-

She was screaming as she was flung across and over the forest, many treetops zooming past her as she soared a little bit higher and faster thanks to her lithe body. Luckily, she was able to land thanks to an open clearing, to which she directed her body to fall down to that spot. Focusing her Aura to envelope her body, she braced for impact.

Thanks to her Aura, the impact against the ground wasn't too bad. She ricocheted a bit before stopping completely by firmly planting her two feet against a smooth boulder nearby.

Jumping off, she readied her sword as her feet touched the ground. Using her enhanced senses (sight, sound and smell), she begins to make her way towards the far north end where the relics are located.

As she rushed through, she began to ponder on her options.

 _"Alright, gotta get to the temple and find a partner! Hmm, but who? Let's see now… who do I know? Oh, there's Vladimir. He's cool, pretty classy with that coat and fedora on. Buuut I don't think I'd wanna deal with his flirting."_ She imagined a Chibi Vladimir flirting with a Chibi Version of herself as she passed through a few bushes and vaulting over a few downed trees, she pondered some more.

 _"And then there's also Kali! She's pretty cool herself, plus she looks like she can hold her own during a fight. I kinda think we can work along fine. I'm a Faunus, she's a Faunus. I mean, sure, she's a cat and I'm a wolf, but I'm sure we can look past that, ehehe…"_ She imagined Chibi versions of herself and Kali having a conversation as she giggled at the thought.

 _"And then there's Enrique. Out of those three, I've known him first and he was so nice! But he looked pretty serious this morning, I wonder why? Eh, doesn't take away the fact that the guy's pretty good."_ Summer then imagines a buff and Chibi Enrique just being an overall grouch as a Chibi Summer frolics around him. A blush appears on her cheeks but then she gets shakes her head. Summer then reached a clearing overlooking a plain just a few feet below and a large chasm far away.

Oh, and there were a few Grimm in the plains, just some Beowulves, a couple of Ursai, and a few Boarbatusks. Nothing she can't handle.

She readied her sword, the thin stiletto blade gleaming brightly against the midday sun which attracted the Grimm nearby.

"Uh-oh!" she gulped as two Boarbatusks rolled rapidly towards her. Bracing herself and flaring her Aura, she blocked the first one with her blade and dodged the second one via rolling under it.

Breathing in and getting to a sword-fighting stance, Summer stabbed a third Boarbatusk through the neck and sliced its' head off. She side-stepped, dodging a Beowulf and slashed twice at the chest before leaping back and landing on some grass superhero landing style. Rolling to the side, narrowly avoiding the first two Boarbatusks from before that were coming up from behind, Summer then horizontally slashed at a fourth one, the blade creating sparks as it impacted against the bony armor.

She then leaps over it and sends a rapid flurry of slashes at its' armored back, cracking it in a few places. A second Beowulf growled and made a lunge, only for her to send a swift stab to where a heart would be if the Beowulf were a person rather than a soulless harbinger of death and destruction. The creature of Grimm fell over dead as Summer dodged another Boarbatusk's charge and stabbed it through its' exposed stomach, killing it as well.

Summer smiled as she watched the dead Grimm bodies disintegrate, only to get blindsided by an Ursa that had somehow snuck up behind her. Her body made impact against a nearby tree, causing it to bend a little and send out a couple of splinters. She groaned as she tried to stand up, only for the Ursa to knock her down again.

Her face showed horror as the bear Grimm opened its' maw, intent on eating off her face. What was worse was that it cleverly placed both of its' front paws on her arms, immobilizing them.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her own demise.

…

But it never came as a blood-red sword sliced off the Ursa's head, causing it to roll around before stopping at a Beowulf's foot.

The remaining Grimm looked from their would-be victim and saw a woman with blood-red eyes and spike-y black hair in crimson clothing.

The two remaining Beowulves lunged at the newcomer, only for her to slice them in two swift strokes of her sword. The three Boarbatusks rolled at her in a triangle formation, only for them to be cut down as swiftly as the Beowulves in three swift movements.

The final Ursa roared at her before attempting to slash at her with its claw, only for it to be sliced off by the sword. The Grimm had no time to comprehend the pain as the woman sliced it vertically apart in one move.

As the Ursa's body fell to the ground and began disintegrating, Summer opened her eyes to see her savior.

Raven Branwen smirked at her and opened her mouth. "Nice to meet yah, partner."

Summer, on the other hand, was blushing at the woman's coolness. _"Th-this is my partner? She's so pretty."_

* * *

-With Enrique-

Enrique 's large body (combined with his heavy weight and the weapons and equipment he's carrying) caused him to descend faster than the other students.

Luckily, he landed on his feet… right onto an unsuspecting Alpha Beowulf in the middle of a Beowulf pack (around 10 including the Alpha).

Wasting no time, he got out his handcannons Whitetail and Blackhawk and quickly went into town.

 **BANGBANG! BANGBANG! BANGBANG! BANGBANG! BANGBANG!**

Firing five rounds from each gun into the armored skulls of these developed Beowulves, each custom .50 AE round managing to penetrate then absolutely demolish each Beowulf head.

The results were a group of Beowulf heads popping in a shower of gory chunks, staining the grass and trees with their black blood. The poor bastards never knew what hit them.

Grunting, Enrique pressed the ambidextrous magazine release buttons on his handguns as he loaded two fresh 20-round magazines into his handguns and keeping away the partially depleted magazines into his magazine holsters.

Scanning his surroundings, he began to make a mad dash to the far north end of the forest.

Hopefully Vlad didn't find a partner yet, but if he did…

Enrique's gonna have to make do with what he's got.

As he made his way through the forests, he got rid of a fair amount of Grimm. Mindful of his ammunition, he used his blades to slice the Grimm apart and only used his guns on the larger or tougher adversaries.

Just as he neared the end of the thick forest, his hearing picked up on the sounds of a nearby fight. There was another initiate nearby; hopefully it was someone he knew. Again, if not...

He's just going to make do with what he gets.

Changing his course, Enrique made his way to the source of the sounds, the fighting growing louder as he got closer.

When he emerged from out the thicket of bushes, he saw who was fighting off the Grimm. And she was doing rather well.

She had just sliced off a Ursa's head from the upper neck portion with one of her twin weapons, which were scimitars that had a few mechanical embellishments on the blades (meaning that they combine into an alternate form, or individually turn into two separate modes) and the grips being rather curved outwards starting at the point where the handle meets the cross hilt portion and ending about halfway.

Twirling diagonally to the left and avoiding a Beowulf's slash, the young woman punished its' poor aim with one of her scimitars going deep into the neck before the other pierced through its' skull from the bottom of the jaw to the top of the skull.

Pulling the blades out, she jumped high into the air to avoid another Beowulf's charge that sent it slamming into another Beowulf.

 _"Oh, she's good."_

As she landed, she was immediately hit from the side by a fourth one, sending her sprawling across the grass groaning as she did.

 _"But not good enough, it seems."_

Her recovery was quick, Enrique noticed, as she was rapidly up and on her two feet to narrowly avoid the same Beowulf's claw. Problem was that she leaned a little too far back, which sent her back into the ground.

The Grimm, not wasting this opportunity, ganged up on her.

 _"Time to intervene."_

Pulling out his bolos, Enrique threw one of them at the pack. The blade twirled rapidly as it removed the head of one Beowulf before sinking lightly into a tree's trunk.

Not wasting time, he charged at the remaining pack and tackled another, his strength outmatching the creature of Grimm, before punching its' head into a squishy black mass with his fist. Hearing the remaining two approaching, he rolled forward and then followed it with a side roll to the left, avoiding the two completely.

Running to his thrown bolo, he grabbed it and faced the two Beowulves once more. Narrowing his eyes, he sheathed both his bolos and cracked his knuckles as he approached the two Beowulves, who were growling and roaring as he neared them.

Getting into a fighting stance, he taunted the two with a 'come hither' motion of his entire left hand.

They charged, the two creating distance between them as they neared the large man that killed their two pack members. One opened its' jaws and lunged, and the other simply charged with the claws ready to kill whatever is caught in their grasps.

Enrique responded by twisting his body to meet the one that lunged, driving one of his bolos straight through the mouth and into the chest cavity. Using his own momentum, he immediately slammed the dead Beowulf into the other one, disorientating the creature of darkness and staining a large area around them with black blood as well as covering Enrique's front with the substance.

As the dead Beowulves dissipated, Enrique turned to face the individual he saved. If he remembered correctly, she was the girl in the night blue dress during the Headmaster's speech, although she was dressed differently.

She wore a brown leather jacket over a white shirt (which oddly was designed to look like they were mere bandages covering her top) that exposed a bit of her midriff. Her leggings consisted of dark blue jeans with cowgirl boots (complete with fur tails), with a blue feather accessory attached to her left butt cheek portion of her jeans.

She had a moderate bust and ass with her figure being able to turn all kinds of heads. Her hair was moderately long, just past her shoulders, with thin bangs framing her heart-shaped face.

While Enrique had fended off the remaining Beowulves of the pack, the young woman managed to get up and dust herself off just in time to see Enrique slam his bolo into one Beowulf and using his momentum to smash the body against the last one, covering him and the surrounding small radius with black blood. She was really surprised at the man's combat skills and his brutality towards the Grimm.

Such an individual was someone she knew wasn't trained to kill just Grimm, but also people. It confused her, but she didn't show it to the man that had finished off the Grimm who was now facing her.

She flinched when she saw the man's right eye, while pale, seemed to glow lightly. Just looking at it made her feel uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Enrique stared into her amber yellow eyes. Strangely, they reminded him of fire, like napalm burning a jungle. He quickly hardened his features and pushed away the thoughts.

"So I'm guessing we're partners, huh?" Enrique's voice snapped the woman out of her daze, to which she replied with a stammer at the beginning.

"Huh? O-oh! Yes, I guess we are since we've just made eye-contact. And you kinda went overkill on the Grimm, so... yeah." She shrugged as she stretched for a bit, showing a bit more of her midriff, before extending a hand out.

"Evelyn Fall, nice to meet you," she calmly introduced herself. Enrique simply took her hand and shook it lightly once.

"Enrique Verde, Miss Fall." Letting go of her hand to wipe away the Grimm blood from his face and neck, Enrique twirled his bolos as he asked.

"Are we close to the temple Headmaster Drakonus pointed out?" Evelyn nodded as she recovered her scimitars and sheathed them on her back.

"I saw the top of the temple before I got distracted by those Grimm back there which, again, you killed brutally." Enrique simply shrugged before sheathing his bolos into their leg-mounted sheaths and pulling out Whitetail and Blackhawk, the two handcannons giving off a bright shine thanks to their parkerized finishes. He began to walk in the direction Evelyn said she saw the temple's tops, with said Huntress-in-training tagging along.

* * *

-Back with Vladimir-

 **BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!**

Eight shots rang out, and eight creatures of Grimm fell before Vlad, the barrel of his SVD smoking from rapid usage.

"Y'know…" he began as he reloaded the rifle, "when I read up on your kind, I expected a challenge." He stepped over a dissipating corpse, continuing his calm rant. "But instead, each one I've faced so far are complete jokes. Even child soldiers in the Middle East were better fighters than this." Hearing something move through the bushes, he readied the rifle.

Suddenly, a black paw with white bony plating shot out and took a swipe at him. Vlad flipped out of the way and narrowed his eyes at the newcomer.

It was a bear Grimm, an Ursa if he remembered the briefings, with multiple bony plates covering it, suggesting the creature is old and experienced. Smirking a tad bit, he squeezed the trigger.

Just as he thought, the Ursa dodged to the side, avoiding the 7.62mm round that flew past it. Quickly readjusting his aim, he fired once more. This time the round hit the Grimm square in the shoulder, making it growl loudly in response.

 _"So the older they are, the tougher they're to kill? This makes it interesting."_ He fired again before slinging rifle onto his back and reaching into his trench-coat and pulling out his customized NR 43 combat knife and rushed forward at the Ursa.

The Ursa roared as it managed to somehow intercept the bullet aimed at its face with one of its paws. Because of this, it did not see Vlad charging in and sending out a rapid barrage of knife slashes across its underbelly, cutting multiple times before jumping away. It roared in anger and pain before charging at the human that attacked it.

Vlad sidestepped the charge before plunging the knife deep into the Ursa's left leg and forcing it to the side, the blade ripping the appendage, causing it to hang on loose strands. The creature stumbled before, in a surprising move, turning quickly and knocking Vlad to the side with a backhand (or paw, depending on how you see it as) and into a tree.

Grunting as he made impact with the bark, he pulled out his silver/pearl Python revolver from his chest-rig holster and pulled the trigger just as the iron sights were aligned with the general area of the Ursa's head. The firearm went off with a loud bang and the 9x33mmR/.357 Magnum round flew in a quick and flat trajectory and piercing the Grimm's bony armor surrounding the upper portions of the neck, severing the bone and muscle.

It stumbled for a bit before giving a defying roar and falling down, dead at last. Vlad took this moment to regain his breath, smiling as he did.

"Well… **huff _…_ huff _…_** That was fun…" Vlad, forcing himself out of the tree trunk and landing on his feet shakily, said as he stretched for a bit.

Hearing some footsteps approaching his direction, he quickly spun on his heel and aimed his revolver and placed his knife…

At Tatiana's head and neck, respectively. Said woman was pretty shocked at the speed and reflexes of Vlad, not just from the fight with the Ursa Major, but also from what happened just now. Her mismatched pair of emerald-green and light golden-beige eyes widened to the size of small plates when she felt the bloodied metal of the knife on her neck and as she stared down the barrel of the Magnum revolver.

Vlad's own blood-red eyes widened when he recognized the young woman he nearly killed before holstering his revolver and sheathing away his combat knife back into his trench-coat. "I am terribly sorry, Miss Lazuli. I was a little too caught up in the moment there." He gave a curt bow of the head before straightening himself.

Tatiana overcame her shock and simply waved off his apology. "It's quite fine, Vladimir. I was also at fault for approaching you that quickly and closely." She giggled off her own worries and cocked her head to the side.

"I guess we are partners now, eh?" She placed her arms behind her back as she rocked in place on her heels and soles alternating in a placid manner.

Vlad simply nodded in response and flashed a toothy grin. "Then what are we waiting for, Miss Lazuli? Let's go!" He began to head off in a random direction, much to Tatiana's sweatdrop and chagrin.

"Vladimir! You're heading in the wrong direction! The temple's this way!" She pointed in the direction opposite of Vlad's path as she exclaimed her annoyance. A few seconds later, Vlad came back with one hand behind his head scratching it in embarrassment.

"Hehe, I knew that." He played it off as he walked past Tatiana and whistling off his little blunder.

She simply shook her head in mock annoyance as she readied her battle-axe. "Boys will be boys."

* * *

 **AAAAND CUT! That'll be all for today (and this month) so thank you all for taking your sweet-ass time to read this pathetic excuse of a chapter. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that good jizzle. EnriksD8 is out, PEACE!**


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